Ricky Skaggs – HuffPost 11.30.11

Mike Ragogna: Is there any advice you would give to a new artist?

Ricky Scaggs: Just try to be honest to yourself and to the music. Don’t be a copy, try to be an original because there are a lot of copies out there. I believe that God is the giver of gifts and if he loves snowflakes enough to make every snowflake different, then he must love music enough to want the same diversity. We all have our own song to sing and our own songs that are born out of us, so try to be an original. I really try to encourage all young people to do that. Also, make sure you’re getting into the industry for the right reasons. Don’t do this just to win awards and get on TV. The love of the music is what brought me to Nashville originally and I’ve been playing since 1959. My dad bought me my first mandolin when I was five. I have loved music all my life and I grew up respecting it, loving it, and playing it not just to make money, though I did start to see that I was making money at an early age and maybe part of that is what kept me into it–thinking that I could potentially do it to make a living. Getting into it for the right thing is the main thing.